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Monday, August 31, 2015

PREFACE:THIS
IS NOT A TIER LIST. This is more of a buyers guide for people wondering
how to get the best heroes for their gold. They will be judged not just
on their ability to complete their role, but also in how many comps
they can fit in, how many comps they can counter, the difference between
skill floor and skill ceiling, and how likely they are to be tuned in
the next balance patch. So if you ask "WHY DIDN'T YOU MENTION
KAEL'THAS?!" It's because they're going to patch out his Living bomb
soon.As more people play the game, and level up and
prepare for Hero League, a question I often see in chat is "Hey, who I
should I buy?" and then people give a wide array of answers, from
personal preference, to "Flavor of the Month" (Hence forth abbreviated
to FotM) to just trolly suggestions.

I know it takes a long time to farm up that 10K gold, and the
decision to fill out your roster isn't easy, so I'm writing this post to
help people who are still on the fence.

I will be breaking down heroes into 4 catagories, slightly different
than the ones Blizz uses, and even different than what I have used
before. (Instead of "Shield" or "Mace" for warrior, I may just say Tank.
For "Flex" supports, I may even call them a DPS)

These will be

Tank

Healer

Damage Dealers (R/M)

Flex/Fill

Further more, I will use 3 categories. The "Best Buy" pick, which is usually more expensive, but you will get your gold worth, the "Value Buy" pick, a cheaper pick, probably off the meta, but still performs well, and the "Buyer Beware,"
heroes that I believe, or even have been specifically mentioned of
being tuned very soon. These are picks that may be top right now, but
may be trashed by balance changes or just a very high skill cap, and may
not be ideal for a person unfamiliar with the role.

And finally, I want to say, that these are only suggestions. The
choice is ultimately up to you. If you really want to get Kael'thas
because you think he's awesome, or played a Belf Fire Mage in WoW, go
for it. If a playstyle doesn't work for you, as if you're more of a
Defensive player, and I recommend a highly aggressive melee DPS, stick
to what you enjoy.Let's get started.TANK!Get everybody and their stuff together. OK, three, two, one let's jam.

This is, from my own experiences, the least desired role in Hero
select. People will rush to a DPS, people may even highlight a healer,
but no one wants to be the Meat Shield. Which is odd, because this is
probably the best role to "lead" from. You decide when to engage, who
gets locked down, when to retreat. Granted, not everyone will use their
best judgement, but if you do your job well, then you can be the factor
that tips the scales.

Best Buy:JohannaPrice:10K Gold

She has everything. Strong Initiation, peel, immune to CC, blind, a
60% slow, huge shield, great talent diversity, huge tracts of land! She
fits into almost any comp and shuts down almost any other. Her biggest
weakness is lack of mobility. She's a bit of a glacier and can be a pain
to reposition in the heat of battle. But being overlooked by 2 balance
patches, and the rise of Leoric hindering her winrate, it's safe to say,
she'll be a top pick for the forseeable future.

Value Buy: Elite Tauren Chieftain, Muradin Price: 2K Gold

"BUT ETC IS TERRIBLE RIGHT NOW!" No, no he's not. He's still
incredibly effective at creating space. What "sucks" is he can't push or
clear waves, which is kind of important on larger maps or if they're
tied to the objective (Infernal Shrines, Spider Queen) He still has
great CC, good initiation, good sustain, and mobility. He just can't
shove anymore until 16.

Muradin is another great choice. With the rise of Auto-Attack based
assassins and the nerfs to "Imposing Presence," his "Reverberation"
talent will really shine. He also has good CC, Avatar and Stoneform are
great, his leap still makes him "unstoppable" but again, he suffers a
bit with the prominence of Leoric, Which brings me to my last one

Buyer BewareLeoricPrice: 10K Gold

Leo's rise caught a few people by surprise. Seemingly designed as a
"tank buster" to counter the double tank meta, he really shown his
potential as of late. MVP Black put him to amazing use at MSI, and
people may see him as a "must buy" now. But his winrate seems a bit too high, he does his job a bit too well.
Even though nothing has been mentioned, I have a feeling some of his
defensive stats may be tuned down. But if you're about the FotM, and
want a strong pick for TODAY, then I would probably get this guy above
Johanna.HEALER!Doctor! Doctor! Can't you see I'm Burning! Burning!Another role no one wants. A good support is hard to find, and if you
main support, you probably own them all anyway, and don't need this
guide. You also probably have color coordinated all your skins with
mounts, because you need to find some solace from the idiocy of your
teammates ("No, Illidan, don't go back in, I JUST HEA- and he's dead...
and now he's raging... well, at least my pony matches.")

Best Buy Uther Price: 7K Gold

For those that read my support guide, this shouldn't come as a surprise, for those that haven't read it, why not? Here it is. READ IT, AND LET YOUR HATRED CONSUME YOU!.

Uther is everything you need in a man, supportive, dependable,
bearded. While he doesn't get a 10 on anything, being solid 7s in every
area is enough to make him a top pick. He has good single target helas,
CC, utility, an AOE heal which can be surprisingly effective DPS, and
can even be a bit tanky, but not recommended. His two heroics shore up
any gap your team might have, be it good engage, to protect the squishy

Value Buy Malfurion Price: 2K Gold

Malfurion lacks in a few key areas, mainly burst heals and
cc/interrupts (Twilight Dream competes with Tranquility.) He makes up
for it in sheer output. The amount of healing this guy can put out is
second only to LiLi with Kung Fu Hustle, with the added bonus of being
able to AIM HIS DAMN HEALS! He can talent into good wave clear with
"Moonburn," Innerv is always desired, and can pick up MULE at 7 which
is a must on Sky Temple. Personally I would pick this guy over Uther in
drafts, as he's a lower skill cap, lower CDs, and you can pull off some
cheese with "Hardened Focus."

Buyer Beware Rehgar Price 7K Gold

"BUT REHGAR IS AMAZING, AND HE JUST GOT REWORKED!" I know, I know,
but he is a bit higher skill cap than other healers. His big heal has a
delay, he lacks any CC outside a slowing totem. You need to know how and
when to use your passive and lightning shield to it's fullest
potential, and he doesn't have access to some key talents like MULE and
Shrink ray, which can make some fights an uphill battle. But hey, he's
free this week, try him out, and see if he's right for you DAMAGE DEALERS!"Killing is my business and Business is good!"Note: I'm going to list 2 per, as damage dealers (Not just
"assassins") are a bit more situational. I'm also throwing melee and
ranged in here as almost all melee not named "Zeratul" are a bit
undertuned. I might change this format on the next one I do, breaking
them apart.

You know, I'd rather deal with Attack Damage Carry (ADC) mains in LoL
than Assassins mains in this game. Yeah, both are whiny and spoiled
brats with a superiority complex, but at least ADCs were expected to
have good mechanics and knowledge. You miss a skill shot in a critical
fight; well, "gg, can't hit arrows." You don't know how to position and
don't know target priorities? "gg, no focus" You position poorly, split
push, get caught trying to solo a camp, "gg, ADC won't group." Assassins
here will find any excuse to blame teammates. Vaulted in 1v4? "Johanna
won't engage!" Died trying to contest a point for no reason while
everyone is soaking "I guess my team doesn't know what objectives are!"
Get's nailed by a Stitches Hook because of poor awareness "Stitches is
so OP!" (RIP Buddy ;n;)

Anyway, if you're reading this, then you're not one of those cunts,
because you have no idea which assassin to buy. Well, here are my
suggestions.

Best Buys Sylvanas and Jaina Price: 10K Gold

I see Jaina as Anti-personnel (Team fights with protection, prolonged
conflict, objectives close to lanes/forts) , Sylv as a Shock troop.
(Solo, high risk "behind enemy lines" work, sabotaging and disabling.
Think of maps where you want 0 attention, like Spider Tombs)

Both of these lovely ladies have recently received nerfs, but they're
still very strong. Jaina can still kite, burst, clear waves, and her
water elemental is still tankier than Stitches! (Sorry buddy.) Only
downside is that she's squsihy, but that's how most assassins are. At
least you have a permaslow on Jaina.

Sylv is a bit different, while she can do a considerable amount of
damage, and can take care of herself; she's not a "team player." She has
1 AOE damaging ability on her W, the upgrade reduces the range by 25%,
she can't target her Q, and E is an escape. But her silencing arrow is
amazing initiation. But she works best in the shadows, when people are
distracted. This is the character you want to give all the Spider gems
and coins to. When a fight breaks out, she's able to turn in while the
fodder go at each other's throats over a watch tower.

Value Buys Tychus and Zagara Price: 4K Gold and 7K Gold, respectively

I'm surprised Tychus hasn't seen more play. He's the "tankiest" of
all assassins, having the one of the highest health pools for a ranged
damage dealer, access to Regen Master, First Aid, Stone Skin, great wave
clear, a short dash, self peel, can go Ability build or AA build. I
think people are still reeling over his massive nerfs, but right now,
He's slightly above average, and that's a great place to be.

As for Zagara, she has seen a ton of play. Great harass, vision, can
shove lanes and merc camps hard, Maw is a poor man's Void prision. Only
issue is that she's made of something flimsy, like paper mache... or
Radditz. But ganks are very easily avoidable with just tumor placement.
Get vision on your sides, and cover your escape for the speed boost.
Tumor Clutch at 4 is criminally underrated, lowers CD and removes mana
cost. Just remember, A.B.C.!

Buyer Beware Kael'thas and Zeratul Price: 10K

BUT THEY'RE SO GOOD RIGHT NOW! PICK OR BAN EVERY GAME! YOU'RE AN IDIOT IF YOU DON'T GET FREELO!
Well, yeah, they are strong, but Kael is getting is chain bomb stacking
explosion nerfe- I mean "fixed", and Zera has been on the devs radar
for a really long time. There's a saying, the tallest blade of grass is
the first to get cut. They may be the FotM, but all that attention
doesn't bode well.FLEX/FILL!Wake up, wake up, it's da first of da month! Get up, get up, so cash yo' checks and come up!

Think of these as 50/50, Half X/Half Y. These are less defined, a bit
all over the place, they're almost always be an asset to the team. but
don't expect to be received without some abuse if you're trying to fill
one of the big three roles with them. I will say, these are luxury
picks. They are by no means essential, but if you're looking to round
out your hero collection, or fill some gaps, these may be for you.

And for the Buyer beware section, it's more of "heroes I hope are
getting buffed soon." Not instabuy, but keep an eye out if they're on
sale.

Best Buys

Abathur: 10K Gold: Yes, he's very reliant on his team, but he can
get work done! He can soak EXP, shove lanes, pseudo-support with
symbiote. While he can't carry anymore, he can grind out teams with
constant pressure

The Butcher: 10K Gold I hate this hero, I hate it
when people play him, people who don't know how to cancel their E, don't
know how to reset their AA, constantly get caught. But I will say,
GODDAMN! He is effective in the right hands. Does amazing damage, point
and click stun, can duel anyone besides LiLi (No, I'm not trolling.
Lili's blind will destroy him.) Just know when to go in.

Brightwing: 7K Gold: "WAHHH BW NERF BAD, WAHHH!" Yeah, she can't
outheal stupid anymore, it sucks, but she still brings great utility.
Vision, CC, peel, some "off healing," shields, her talented Pixie dust
is the ONLY spell shield that can be applied in the game, not to mention
global presence. Plus, I think she's due for some love.

Value Buys

Tassadar: 4K Gold: Oh Tass, the support that never was. While I
don't think he can solo support, his access to almost all the utility
support talents means the REAL support can invest all their talents into
healing. But even as a "DPS" pick, he does good damage, is incredibly
safe, and his Plasma Shield and MULE on Haunted mines makes him Freelo
for that map.

Murky: 7K Gold: I genuinely believe Murky can fit in any comp. Now,
will your teammates? Uhh...? He was left untouched with the "mage nerfs"
"Living the dream" is still the same. He can shove lanes, CC lock an
opponent, really good damage and as slippery as a slimy frog.

Tyrande: 7K Gold: She's probably my favorite support. Good healing,
damage, vision, CC, and dat ass! Now I know why Illidan still crazy for
that booty. I honestly think she can be a full support in solo queue,
but your team might not have faith. Plus, if you already have a healer,
more points into OWLS!

Raynor: 2K Gold: Ol' "Jimmy" got a little bit of love last patch.
Higher base AD, and his old passive at 7, along with Seasoned Marksman
buffs and Imposing presence nerf give him a nice niche as persistent
ranged damage. He's as Vanilla as you get, but still effective.

Dark HorsesLike I said, these are more of ones you may want to keep an eye on, but no promises.

Stitches: 7K Gold: Stitches sad, Stitches play too rough, now no one
want to play with Stitches =(. I actually think he's going to get buffs
soon, mainly because of the Bikini skin.

Nova: 10K Gold: Lot of nerfs by association. Wouldn't be surprised if she got some love next patch